There are numerous devices in the prior art for storing, transporting, and for paying out coiled articles such as electrical cords, garden hoses, rope and the like.
Examples of recent improvements to apparatus for supporting and retaining coiled members may be seen by reference to my earlier issued U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,739 (Moore, 1987) discloses a coiled member support and retention apparatus wherein the apparatus comprises a one-piece, apertured framework having an elongated longitudinal slot for receiving portions of a coiled member medial of its enlarged terminal ends. An example of such a coiled member is an electrical cord. The longitudinal slot is dimensioned such that the width of the slot is less than twice the diameter of the intermediate portion of the coiled member to permit orderly storage of the coiled member. Adjacent coils are prevented from passing over each other in the slot (cross-coiling). Likewise, unspooling (lateral passage) of the enlarged terminal members of the coiled members are prevented from passing laterally through the elongated slot A spring-biased detente is positioned at the open end of the elongated slot to prevent the coiled member from entering or exiting the elongated slot unintentionally. A sufficient force, applicable by hand, is necessary to overcome the spring detente. The aperture in the frame work is dimensioned to permit the framework to be held by hand.
My second U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,815 (Moore et al , 1988), discloses a similar coiled article retaining device having improved coil retaining means comprising two opposed flexible tang members positioned at the open end of the elongated slot. The flexible tang members project into the elongated coil slot, and yieldingly permit insertion and removal of successive loops from and into the elongated slot.
The above two references permit feeding and extraction of coiled articles and prevent the unintended uncoiling and unspooling of a coiled article since a terminal end member of the article will not pass laterally through the elongated slot. In addition, the coiled articles may be stored in either a vertical or horizontal orientation.
Despite the convenience afforded by these devices for storing and feeding coiled members, the user of the coiled article may also need at the work site a water or power relaying distributing device, such as a multi-plug power outlet in the case of an electric cord or a sprinkler head, etc., in the case of a garden hose. There is thus a great need in the art for a combined handheld portable coiled article retainer with a water or power relaying and/or distributing device.